Glass House: The 1% Economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town

Glass House examines how corporate decisions and private equity involvement transformed Lancaster, Ohio from a thriving industrial town into a struggling community. In 1947, Forbes magazine identified Lancaster as the epitome of an all-American town. The Anchor Hocking Glass Company, once the world's largest maker of glass tableware, formed the foundation of the town's economy and society. Journalist Brian Alexander documents the company's decline through financial engineering that accelerated in the 1980s and 21st century, leading to bankruptcy. With access to company leadership and residents, Alexander follows CEO Sam Solomon as he attempts to rescue the company from the New York private equity firm that hired him. The narrative weaves together the experiences of multiple Lancaster residents: Brian Gossett, a fourth-generation Anchor Hocking worker; Joe Piccolo, director of the town's annual music festival; Jason Roach, suspected by police of being a major drug dealer; and Eric Brown, a former football player turned police officer who recognizes the town's deeper systemic problems. Through these interconnected stories, Alexander explores how the town's residents contend with heroin addiction, political upheaval, predatory lending, low wages, and technological change.